Hero Week Day 4 – Brandon Van Parys

Hero Week Day 4 – Brandon Van Parys

Brandon J. Van Parys, Lance Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, 20, of New Tripoli, formerly of Schwenksville, was killed Feb. 5, 2007, when he was struck by a grenade while on patrol in Al-Anbar Province in Iraq. He was a member of the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force.

“He’s a hero,” Alan Van Parys told WFMZ-TV. “He gave his life protecting his battalion commander. How can you not be proud of that?”

He said his son had been motivated to join the Marines by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Before Van Parys’ deployment, his father said he told the family, “I’ve done this training, it’s time to put it to use.”

Corps Fitness Foundation: Act and think as a unit; Individual Action in Teamwork